japan running news

On Oct. 24 it was learned that 1996 Atlanta Olympics marathoner and former 10000 m Japanese national record holder Izumi Maki died of breast cancer Oct. 18 at her home in Mino, Osaka. She was 49 years old.

Her coach during her days at the Globally and Wacoal corporate teams, Nobuyuki Fujita, 78, said that he last saw Maki in July at a reunion event for Wacoal alumni. "She didn't seem well at the time," he recalled. "I had heard that she was anti-cancer drug treatment, but it is still a shock."

Hisakazu Hirose, 53, assistant coach to Maki in those days and currently head coach of the Iwatani Sangyo team, visited to mourn her death on the day she passed away. Hirose last saw her in March, but at that time, he said, "She seemed totally normal. She wasn't the sort of person who would have just given up. When I saw her after she passed away it looked as though she was only sleeping, that if you called out to her she would answer. I couldn't believe it w…

http://sankei.jp.msn.com/sports/news/111001/oth11100118140010-n1.htm

translated and edited by Brett Larner

Having taken national record holder Mizuki Noguchi to a marathon gold medal at the Athens Olympics, Nobuyuki Fujita (70) retired as advisor to the Sysmex corporate women's team on Sept. 30.  Fujita retired as head coach at Sysmex last October and has served in an advisory role since then.  Fujita's departure leaves head coach Hisakazu Hirose in the leadership role at Sysmex.  According to Sysmex officials, Fujita had the option to renew his contract but after one year as an advisor opted instead for retirement.

Fujita has been a leader in Japanese distance running since 1968, helping to develop Olympians including Atlanta women's marathoner Izumi Maki and Noguchi.  Athletes he has coach have set Japanese national records at distances ranging from 400 m to the marathon.

Fujita intends to focus upon the Fujita Running Academy program he founded in 2006, a project with th…

http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/athletics/news/p-sp-tp0-20110325-752610.html
translated and edited by Brett Larner
2004 Athens Olympics women's marathon gold medalist Mizuki Noguchi (32, Team Sysmex) has donated 500,000 yen [~$6,125 USD] to disaster relief efforts following the Mar. 11 disasters in northeastern Japan. As a contracted employee of Sysmex, Noguchi's annual salary is quite different from what pro athletes of comparable ability receive, meaning the donation is a considerable one for her. The Sysmex women's distance running team also contributed 1,000,000 yen [~$12,250 USD] as a group.
Noguchi's coach Nobuyuki Fujita commented, "We're doing this because she herself said she wanted to do something to help the situation. It hurt her deeply to see the disasters happening on television.*" Noguchi agreed, saying, "There are a lot of people in northeastern Japan in very difficult circumstances right now. Even if it's only a tiny part o…

http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2009/09/14/07.html
http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/etc/news/20090914-OHT1T00018.htm
http://www.47news.jp/CN/200909/CN2009091301000432.html

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Marathoner Mizuki Noguchi (31, Team Sysmex) made an appearance Sept. 13 in Nagano's Sugadaira Takahara region at a workshop organized by her coach, Nobuyuki Fujita. For the first time she spoke seriously of a comeback from the left leg injury which has plagued her ever since forcing her to withdraw from defending her Olympic gold medal at last year's Beijing Olympics, saying that her condition has improved to the point that she is now able to run 20 km. "I've been running again for a month now after taking four months completely off," she told audience members. "The pain is mostly gone. I feel like I can see the light at the end of this long, long tunnel growing brighter bit by bit."

Coach Fujita revealed that a medical examination in mid-July d…

http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20090807-00000131-jij-spo

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Athens Olympics women's marathon gold medalist Mizuki Noguchi (Team Sysmex), who withdrew shortly before the Beijing Olympics women's marathon with an injury, revealed on Aug. 7 that despite hopes of a genuine comeback she is still unable to train nearly a full year after the original injury. Her coach Nobuyuki Fujita, in Tokyo for an event at Komazawa Park, commented, "Noguchi hasn't returned to the point yet where she can run for more than about half an hour."

According to Fujita, the pain Noguchi has experienced in her left hip and thigh for the last year is gone, but she has just started jogging again for 30 minutes at a time and is far from peak condition. Because of the injury, "Her muscles have grown stiff and her movement isn't good." Asked about a comeback race, Fujita said, "When she is able to jog for 60 to 90 minutes then we'll think about the…

http://www.sponichi.co.jp/olympic/news/2009/05/16/02.html

translated by Brett Larner

Nobuyuki Fujita (68), coach of women's national marathon record holder Mizuki Noguchi (30, Team Sysmex) who withdrew from last summer's Beijing Olympics marathon with an injury to her left thigh, turned up at the Amagasaki Memorial Track and Field Grounds on May 15 to watch the first day of the Kansai Jitsugyodan Track and Field Meet. Speaking of his star pupil's inability to resume training with reinjuring herself Fujita admitted that he had recently hurled harsh words at Noguchi, telling her, "If you keep going on like this then it looks like it's over." Noguchi has resumed jogging several times since her original injury, but each time she has begun training at a higher pace the pain has returned. Fujita recognizes that Noguchi may be headed down her last road but still seeks to encourage her and has adopted the motto "looking forward to running" as the theme of her…

http://www.jiji.com/jc/c?g=spo_30&k=2009041700970
http://sports.nikkei.co.jp/index.aspx?n=SSXKF0657%2017042009
http://www.daily.co.jp/general/2009/04/18/0001834808.shtml
http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/news/f-sp-tp0-20090417-484141.html
http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/flash/KFullFlash20090421020.html

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2004 Athens Olympics women's marathon gold medalist Mizuki Noguchi (Team Sysmex) appeared in Ome, Tokyo on Apr. 17 to give a talk as part of her coach Nobuyuki Fujita's nationwide 'Fujita Running Academy' program. Speaking of her future, Noguchi revealed that she is still undergoing medical treatment as she told the audience, "I'm still looking toward the day when I'm completely healed, but I can't make any concrete plans."

After withdrawing from last summer's Beijing Olympics with an injury to her left leg, Noguchi had begun training for a comeback race at September's Berlin Marathon. However, the pain h…

http://www.toray.co.jp/news/event/nr081107.html

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Japanese runner Megumi Seike (Team Sysmex) is scheduled to compete in the half marathon event at the 2008 Shanghai Marathon, one of China's four large international marathons. A teammate of Mizuki Noguchi, Seike is a notable young runner, one of eleven female runners supported by the Sysmex company. Team Sysmex head coach Nobuyuki Fujita will accompany Seike to Shanghai to observe her performance.

A number of athletes who ran in the Beijing Olympics men's and women's marathons will compete in the full marathon event. The women's field includes 7th place finisher Irina Timofeeva of Russia and 11th place finisher Zivile Balciunaite of Lithuania. The men's field includes 7th place finisher Gashaw Asfaw of Ethiopia and 60th place finisher Lee Troop of Australia. Also in the men's field is Kenyan Joshua Chelanga, who was ranked 30th in the world in 2007.

http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/news/f-sp-tp0-20081024-422297.html

translated by Brett Larner

Athens Olympics women's marathon champion Mizuki Noguchi (Team Sysmex), who withdrew from the Beijing Olympics after sustaining an injury to her left thigh, plans to make the 2012 London Olympics the main goal over the next few years. In four years she will be 34. "Age doesn't matter," Noguchi believes. "I have to tell my coaches about my condition more often and control myself better from now on." Noguchi will listen more carefully to what her body is telling her in order to catch potential injuries and an early stage.

38 year old Constantina Tomescu-Dita (Romania) won the Beijing Olympic Marathon. Looking at keeping her motivation as time goes on, Noguchi says, "The more I run the marathon the more interesting it becomes." Her 150 cm-tall body has always looked full of power when she runs, the kind of power which won her the gold medal in Athens. …

Originally published 10/12/08 in the Nikkei Newspaper

translated by Brett Larner

Mizuki Noguchi (30, Team Sysmex), who pulled out of the Beijing Olympics women's marathon after an injury to her left thigh, took part in a panel discussion at an event in Sado, Niigata Prefecture on Oct. 11, telling the audience through her tears, "I sincerely apologize [for pulling out of the race]. My big goal now is to be ready to run the London Olympics." It was Noguchi's first public appearance since her injury, and she sent a positive message with her mention of plans four years in the future.

The panel discussion was part of an event organized by Noguchi's coach Nobuyuki Fujita. "Fujita Running Academy" is a program designed to support and develop elementary and junior high school student runners. Appearing as a special guest, Noguchi spoke publically about her injury for the first time while addressing the student audience. "Getting hurt was my own fault. I…

http://www.niigata-nippo.co.jp/pref/index.asp?cateNo=1&newsNo=113868

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Mizuki Noguchi (Team Sysmex) will make her first public appearance since withdrawing from the Beijing Olympics marathon this weekend when she appears at a seminar organized by her coach Nobuyuki Fujita in Sado, Niigata Prefecture.

The event, 'Fujita Running Academy (FRA),' is designed to help discover, motivate and develop young runners with high potential by giving them access to world-class coaching and famous athletes. FRA has so far been held in locations including Okinawa and Nagasaki Prefectures.

Noguchi is scheduled to talk Oct. 11 on her experiences with the Athens and Beijing Olympics and on her future plans. On Oct. 12 Fujita and Noguchi will conduct a running clinic for students in grades five through nine.

Participation in FRA is free. Noguchi's talk will take place Oct. 11 at 6:00 p.m. in Sado's Amusement Sado Hall. The running clinic will be held Oct. 12 at 10:0…

http://sports.nikkei.co.jp/index.aspx?n=SSXKF0532%2026092008

translated by Brett Larner

Nobuyuki Fujita, head coach of Athens Olympics women's marathon gold medalist Mizuki Noguchi (Team Sysmex) who withdrew from the Beijing Olympics marathon after an injury to her left thigh, said that Noguchi will likely target a comeback at an overseas marathon in the autumn next year. Noguchi had hoped to return in time for the Berlin World Championships next August, but to make the team she would need to run in one of the Japanese selection races this winter and in her current condition this does not look to be a realistic option.

Noguchi had returned to a program of light jogging, but as her injury persisted through mid-September she backed off and concentrated on receiving proper medical treatment. With her future training a blank slate, coach Fujita speculated about possible plans. "We think that the best course of action would be for her to run a PB attempt at Berlin or Chicago next …

http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/etc/news/20080903-OHT1T00100.htm

translated by Brett Larner

On Sept. 2, Athens Olympics women's marathon gold medalist Mizuki Noguchi (30, Team Sysmex) went for her first public run since pulling out of the Beijing Olympics women's marathon shortly before the race with an injury to her left thigh. Feeling that she is not yet healed, Noguchi withdrew from her planned participation in the October 12 World Half Marathon Championships in Rio de Janiero, Brazil.

The run marked the first time the marathon queen has shown herself in public since returning from Switzerland, jogging slowly for two hours on the afternoon of Sept. 2. Approached for an interview at the end of her run, Noguchi brushed reporters aside, saying, "Excuse me, I'm still practicing."

Noguchi injured her biceps femoris and semitendinosus on July 25 while training in St. Moritz, Switzerland. She cut the Swiss training camp short to return to Japan for medical treatment on…

http://beijing.yahoo.co.jp/news/detail/20080812-00000021-sanspo-spo

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Nobuyuki Fujita, 67, head coach of defending Olympic women's marathon gold medalist Mizuki Noguchi, 30, has updated the media on his injured runner's condition, saying that on Aug. 11 she was able to complete her longest training session since sustaining an injury to her left thigh. "At 5:30 a.m. she jogged for an hour. In the afternoon she had massage and other care," said Fujita. Noguchi has not been seen publicly in Kyoto, but Fujita said she is doing the minimum training necessary to make an Olympic run feasible.

Fujita added that if Noguchi decides to run in Beijing she will head to China on Aug. 14 rather than on Aug. 13 as originally planned, saying it would be best for Noguchi to wait until the last minute possible to travel. He said that Noguchi's team will announce her final decision on Aug. 13.

http://beijing.yahoo.co.jp/news/detail/20080810-00000057-jij-spo#0
http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20080810-00000928-san-spo
http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20080810-00000936-san-spo

translated and edited by Brett Larner

Translator`s note: The section of quotes from the Aug. 10 press conference following the main article below has been updated and contains a fair amount of additional information.

Speaking at a press conference in Kyoto on Aug. 10, Mizuki Noguchi`s head coach Nobuyuki Fujita and Rikuren official Keisuke Sawaki addressed the defending Olympic marathon champion's condition and the possibility that she may withdraw from the Aug. 17 Beijing Olympics marathon, saying, "No decision will be made for another two or three days."

The press conference included Fujita, Sawaki, Noguchi's trainer Hisakazu Hirose and Rikuren marathon director Tadasu Kono. The conference began with an overview of Noguchi's situation by Sawaki, while Fujita followed with a further e…

http://sports.nikkei.co.jp/index.aspx?n=SSXKF0368%2027062008
http://sankei.jp.msn.com/sports/other/080628/oth0806282316038-n1.htm
http://sankei.jp.msn.com/sports/other/080629/oth0806291819009-n1.htm
http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/news/20080701-OHT1T00058.htm

translated and edited by Brett Larner

Mizuki Noguchi (Team Sysmex), on track to defend her Olympic marathon gold medal at the Beijing Olympics, travelled to Beijing on June 27 for a series of test runs on the Olympic marathon course. Noguchi reported that she would be doing the test runs at jogging pace to reconfirm her image of the course after viewing videos and previous test runs as well as to get an idea of the weather conditions in Beijing.

At 4:00 p.m. on June 28 Noguchi ran 26 km of the course, accompanied by her coach Hisakazu Hirose and wearing the race shoes custom-made for her by Asics` master craftsman Hitoshi Mimura. The two covered the final 15 km of the Olympic course in one hour. Conditions during the test run were ap…

http://www.chunichi.co.jp/chuspo/article/sports/news/CK2008060202014342.html

translated by Brett Larner

Beijing Olympics women`s marathon team leader Mizuki Noguchi (29, Team Sysmex) has begun her "China-free" main Olympic preparation in Nagano Prefecture`s Sugadaira Takahara region. Noguchi arrived in Sugadaira on June 1 to begin an intensive training camp. Her coach Nobuyuki Fujita (67) told reporters that Noguchi has abandoned plans to attend a training camp in Kunming, China which was scheduled to begin June 12 and will instead remain in Sugadaira for the rest of the month. Noguchi will take advantage of the area`s arduous up-down terrain to strengthen her lower body in order to withstand Beijing`s hard road surfaces.

In the lead up to Beijing Noguchi`s support and coaching team made the decision to avoid China, with Fujita instead selecting a domestic base for Noguchi`s training. "Kunming`s main advantage is its elevation," said Fujita. "This time, however, …

http://www.jiji.com/jc/c?g=spo_30&k=2008021200792

translated by Brett Larner

The Kumamoto 30 km Road Race reported on Feb. 12 that Athens Olympics women's marathon gold medalist Mizuki Noguchi (Team Sysmex) has withdrawn from this year's race, to be held Feb. 24 in Kumamoto.

Noguchi won November's Tokyo International Women's Marathon in a course record time, almost certainly securing a spot on the Beijing Olympic team. She is now training in Kunming, China to prepare for a 30 km world record attempt in Kumamoto.

Team Sysmex coach Nobuyuki Fujita commented, "We entered Kumamoto specifically as a world record attempt, but Mizuki's training since the Interprefectural Ekiden in January hasn't been good enough to get up to that level. Instead, she's switched the focus of her training to the All-Japan Jitsugyodan Half Marathon in March and the Sendai Half Marathon in May."

http://www.daily.co.jp/newsflash/2008/01/14/0000800805.shtml
http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/etc/news/20080115-OHT1T00078.htm

translated and edited by Brett Larner

Having taken a big step toward the Beijing Olympics with her victory at last year's Tokyo International Women's Marathon, Mizuki Noguchi of Team Sysmex addressed the media at her Kyoto hotel a day after her stage best anchor run in the 26th Interprefectural Women's Ekiden. Speaking in front of a crowd of 300, Noguchi told the press, "If I am selected for the Olympic marathon team I will show the world that although I am small I can do it."

Noguchi received additional motivation to show the world what she can do when Sysmex president Hisashi Ietsugu announced that Sysmex will give her a significant financial bonus in the event of a successful defense of her gold medal. Referring to Abebe Bikila of Ethiopia who won gold medals in the men's marathon at the 1960 Rome and 1964 Tokyo Olympics, Ietsugu said…

http://beijing2008.nikkansports.com/athletics/p-sp-tp0-20071216-296028.html

translated by Brett Larner

Probable Beijing Olympics women`s marathon team member Mizuki Noguchi (29, Team Sysmex) will compete in the Kumamoto 30 km road race on Feb. 24 next year in an attempt to set a new world record at the distance. Her coach Nobuyuki Fujita (67) held a press conference today to announce the news, saying that, "Setting a world record would make a major impact leading into the Olympics." Noguchi is also scheduled to run in the All-Japan Interprefectural Women`s Ekiden on Jan. 13. She plans to leave on Dec. 27 for a training camp on Amami Oshima.

Translator`s note: Mizuki Noguchi set the current 30 km world record of 1:38:49 during the 2005 Berlin Marathon. Paula Radcliffe ran 1:36:36 for 30 km while setting the marathon world record at the 2003 London Marathon, but the IAAF apparently does not consider this 30 km mark or any of the other 30 km splits run by Radcliffe and Catherine N…